Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts

Where's the Fire?

I'm all about the outdoor posts lately!

Last weekend we had a fire in our backyard.  In a good way.

You know the leftover Pavestones from under the deck - HERE?  When we poured the patios and sidewalk, Ryan piled them up in the backyard. Can you say "White Trash Hillbilly"?  Ryan, of course, wanted to haul them to the dump. No, really, he did.

Then, the inspiration came.  He turned this



Into this!



And all in one afternoon.

But we needed a better way to get up and down the slope - especially after it got dark and after a few beers.

So, he built this.





And last Saturday, we did this!





It was a ton of fun. We laughed, talked, sang, did skits, told stories...a really great time.

And all FREE!  Or, as Ryan likes to say, Free, except for his Chiropractic Bill.

Linked to Remodelaholics were we were just featured - HERE! Thanks!

A Day to Reconnect, or We Finally did something while the kids are away

The kids have been gone for nearly a week. The first few nights, we were total losers. We were the DUH in Dull. We would eat dinner together and then go our separate ways. Me to the Hearth Room, watching the likes of Top Chef D.C. and Ry to the Family Room watching crap like Hostel II. Then off to bed early to go to sleep. Zzzzzzzz......


Saturday, however, we mixed things up! Ryan had to do actual work-work in the morning, but was able to complete it from home. When he was done we took our Recycling up to the Recycling Center and then headed down to our fabulous City Market to shop for dinner and be the metro-cool couple we once were.


The Market was packed...more so than usual due to the Toyota Farm to Table Tour taking place. It's a great concept. We purchased fresh, and locally grown peppers and onions for Steak Fajitas, which we cooked that night. We also got fabulous peaches, which are destined to become a Peach Pie or Cobbler. (I have been craving peaches since The Big Shamu posted about peaches and pies here and here.) We also got some fresh tomatoes, which are fantastic and will become tomato soup tonight. In that soup will float slices of baguette from Bloom and poached fresh farm eggs from la ferme du bonheur.


In keeping with our "farm to table" theme, we lunched at The Farmhouse, which was great. Sitting outside on the patio, we enjoyed quiche and omelettes and fabulous service.


A stop in at Planters, one of my FAVORITE gardening stores, was fun and smelled great. A stroll down the pedestrian bridge to the Missouri River, which is part of the Missouri Riverfront Heritage Trail, was very cool and educational, with excellent views of the river and the Broadway Bridge (here) and the Heart of America Bridge (turn your head down river). And we even had time to hit the first two floors of the River Market Antique Mall.

Back to the car and our sustainability excursion ends, but not our metro-coolness or our 'localivity' as we hit Grinder's for some brews.



However, this is where our tale takes a woeful turn. In the BK days, we would have remained at Grinder's until the wee hours. But, as our slow and spattered and increasingly boring (even to us) conversation was continually interrupted by Ryan's yawns, we made the decision to head back to the sleepy suburb we call home. Once there, we would eat dinner together and then go our separate ways. Then off to bed early to go to sleep. Zzzzzz....

Six Degrees of Gardening

Okay! ONG offered up a Six Degrees from Favorite Sports Team to Gardening Throw Down. Never one to miss out on some friendly competition, I was in.

First, however, I struggled with my fave sports team, being the Mizzou and Razorback gal that I am, so ultimately decided on the town's favorite heartbreakers, our Kansas City Chiefs.



1. The Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to complete a $375 million stadium renovation to Arrowhead this year. $250 million is being funded by Jackson County tax payers (that's yours truly) through a sales tax.


2. 250 million cubic metre of ash spewed from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, which began erupting March 20, 2010.


This caused over 100,000 cancelled flights and delayed travelers, including Fabian Forde and his two sons. Fabian is a deputy manager at an electrical supply company outside of London.



3. The Electrical Power industry in the UK was nationalized by the Electricity Act of 1947. One of the local authority undertakings that was merged into the East Midlands Electricity Board was Burton Upon Trent: a town known for its brewing heritage.


4. Heritage Brewing is a Canadian brewer who brews seasonal ales, including one called Maple Brown Lager. (They say the beer has the aroma of maple, the smokiness of a sugar camp and the rich colour of amber maple syrup. It sounds yummy!)



5. Maple Brown Lager is made from the sap of trees found in Eastern Ontario in Lanark County.

6. Lanark County is home to Rockwall Gardens,which specializes in selling a wide variety of hardy unique perennial plants.



and BAM! I'm thinking this could be a winner. It combined current events, history, a human interest element and BEER!